Elysium Knight

Elysium knights stand as bastions against the darkness and evil outsiders. While anyone with the proper qualifications may join the ranks of the Elysium knights, cavaliers and paladins make up the majority of their numbers.

RequirementsTo qualify to become an Elysium knight, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.

Alignment: An Elysium knight must be lawful good, neutral good, or lawful neutral.Base Attack Bonus: +5.Feats: Diehard, Toughness.Special: The Elysium knight must be able to challenge 2/day or smite evil 2/day.

Spellcasting: At the indicated levels, an Elysium knight gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in a spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain other benefits a character of that class would have gained, except for additional spells per day, spells known (if he is a spontaneous spellcaster), and an increased effective level of spellcasting. If a character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming an Elysium knight, he must decide to which class he adds the new level for purposes of determining spells per day.

Defensive Stance (Ex): At 1st level, an Elysium knight can enter a defensive stance, a position of readiness and trance-like determination. An Elysium knight can maintain this stance for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + his Constitution modifier. At each Elysium knight level after 1st, he can maintain the stance for 2 additional rounds per day. Temporary increases to Constitution, such as those gained from the defensive stance and spells like bear’s endurance, do not increase the total number of rounds that the Elysium knight can maintain a defensive stance per day. The Elysium knight can enter a defensive stance as a free action. The total number of rounds of defensive stance per day is renewed after resting for 8 hours, although these hours do not need to be consecutive. While in a defensive stance, the Elysium knight gains a +2 dodge bonus to AC, a +4 morale bonus to his Strength and Constitution, as well as a +2 morale bonus on Will saves. The increase to Constitution grants the Elysium knight 2 hit points per Hit Die, but these hit points disappear when the defensive stance ends and are not lost first like temporary hit points. While in a defensive stance, an Elysium knight cannot willingly move from his current position through any means (including normal movement, riding a mount, teleportation, or willingly allowing allies to carry him). If he enters a defensive stance while on a moving vehicle he does not control (such as a wagon or ship), he can maintain the stance even if the vehicle moves. If the Elysium knight moves under his own power as a result of an enemy’s successful use of the Bluff skill or an enchantment spell, his stance ends.

The Elysium knight can end his defensive stance as a free action; after ending the stance, he is fatigued for a number of rounds equal to 2 times the number of rounds spent in the stance. An Elysium knight cannot enter a new defensive stance while fatigued or exhausted but can otherwise enter a stance multiple times during a single encounter or combat. If an Elysium knight falls unconscious, his defensive stance immediately ends, placing him in peril of death. A defensive stance requires a level of emotional calm, and it may not be maintained by a character in a rage (such as from the rage class feature or the rage spell).

Detect Evil (Sp): At will, an Elysium knight can use detect evil, as the spell. An Elysium knight can, as a move action, concentrate on a single item or individual within 60 feet and determine if it is evil, learning the strength of its aura as if having studied it for 3 rounds. While focusing on one individual or object, the Elysium knight does not detect evil in any other object or individual within range.

Aura of Courage (Su): At 2nd level, an Elysium knight is immune to fear (magical or otherwise). Each ally within 10 feet of him gains a +4 morale bonus on saving throws against fear effects. This ability functions only while the Elysium knight is conscious, not if he is is unconscious or dead.

Defensive Powers (Ex): As an Elysium knight gains levels, he augments his defensive stance. Starting at 2nd level, the Elysium knight gains a defensive power. He gains another defensive power for every two levels of Elysium knight attained after 2nd level. The Elysium knight gains the benefits of defensive powers only while in a defensive stance, and some of these powers require him to take an action first. Unless otherwise noted, he cannot select an individual power more than once.

Bulwark (Ex): The defender adds his armor check penalty as a bonus to the DC of opponents attempting to Bluff him and Acrobatics checks to pass by him without provoking an attack of opportunity for moving through spaces he threatens.

Challenge (Ex): The Elysium knight can challenge an opponent (as the cavalier class feature) once per day. He can choose this power up to three times. Each time he selects this power he can use challenge one additional time per day. He must be at least 4th level before selecting this power.

Clear Mind (Ex): The Elysium knight may reroll a failed Will save. This power is used as an immediate action after the first save is attempted, but before the results are revealed by the GM. The Elysium knight must take the second result, even if it is worse. This power can only be used once per defensive stance.

Fearless Defense (Ex): While in a defensive stance, the Elysium knight is immune to the shaken and frightened conditions. He must be at least 4th level before selecting this power.

Halting Blow (Ex): If a foe’s movement in the defender’s threatened area provokes an attack of opportunity and the Elysium knight successfully hits the foe with the attack, the foe’s movement ends immediately. The foe cannot move again until its next turn but can still take the rest of its action. An Elysium knight must have selected the bulwark power prior to selecting halting blow.

Immobile (Ex): While in a defensive stance, the Elysium knight adds his class level to his CMD against any bull rush, overrun, pull, and push combat maneuvers, as well as grapple attempts to move him. The Elysium knight must be at least 4th level to select this power.

Increased Damage Reduction (Ex): The Elysium knight’s damage reduction from this class increases by 1/—. This increase is always active while the Elysium knight is in a defensive stance. He can select this power up to two times. Its effects stack. The Elysium knight must be at least 6th level before selecting this defensive power.

Intercept (Ex): Once a round as an immediate action, when a melee or ranged weapon would successfully strike an adjacent ally, the Elysium knight can choose to have the weapon strike him instead of the intended target. The attack automatically hits the Elysium knight, regardless his AC or any miss chance in effect, and he suffers the normal consequences of the attack.

Internal Fortitude (Ex): While in a defensive stance, the Elysium knight is immune to the sickened and nauseated conditions.

Mighty Resilience (Ex): The Elysium knight automatically negates the additional damage of one successful critical hit or sneak attack, as well as other abilities or effects that rely on a successful critical hit or sneak attack (such as blinding from Blinding Critical or bleed from sneak attack). The Elysium knight takes only normal damage from the attack. This power may only be used once per defensive stance. The Elysium knight must be at least 6th level to select this power.

Renewed Defense (Ex): As a standard action, the Elysium knight heals 1d8 points of damage + his Constitution modifier. For every two levels the Elysium knight has attained above 2nd, this healing increases by 1d8, to a maximum of 5d8 at 10th level. This power can be used only once per day and only while in a defensive stance.

Roused Defense (Ex): The Elysium knight may enter a defensive stance even if fatigued. While maintaining a defensive stance after using this ability, he is immune to the fatigued condition. Once this stance ends, he is exhausted for 10 minutes per round spent in a defensive stance.

Smash (Ex): While in a defensive stance, the Elysium knight may make an extra attack per round that is either a shield bash or a slam (even if he doesn’t normally have a slam attack). If used as part of a full attack action, the extra attack is made at the Elysium knight’s full base attack bonus –5. The smash deals 1d4 points of damage (if the Elysium knight is Medium, or 1d3 if he is Small) plus half the character’s Strength modifier. The character can make this attack as part of the action to maintain or break free from a grapple; this attack is resolved before the grapple check is made. If the attack hits, any grapple checks made by the Elysium knight against the target this round are at a +2 bonus.

Smite Evil (Su): The Elysium knight can smite evil (as the paladin class feature) once per day. He can choose this power up to three times. Each time he selects this power he can use smite evil one additional time per day. He must be at least 4th level before selecting this power.

Unexpected Strike (Ex): The Elysium knight can make an attack of opportunity against a foe that moves into any square threatened by the Elysium knight, regardless of whether or not that movement would normally provoke an attack of opportunity. This power can only be used once per stance. An Elysium knight must be at least 4th level before selecting this power.

Valiant Stand (Su): At 3rd level, an Elysium knight gains a sacred bonus on attack rolls and to AC equal to 1/2 his class level when adjacent to more than one opponent. He does not gain this bonus if he is also adjacent to an ally. This bonus does not stack with the attack bonus granted by the challenge or smite evil class feature, but supersedes it if it is higher.

Sweeping Strike (Ex): At 5th level, as a standard action, an Elysium knight can make a single attack while using his challenge or smite evil ability. If the attack hits, he can make another attack at the same bonus against an evil or challenged creature adjacent to the first and also within reach. He gains the benefits of challenge or smite evil (whichever he was already using), except for additional damage for the first attack, against that creature until the beginning of his next turn. This does not require an additional daily use of challenge or smite evil.

At 8th level, an Elysium knight can use this ability to attack any number of opponents, as long as each is within his threatened area and adjacent to the previous target. This ability functions similarly to the Cleave and Great Cleave feats, but does not stack with them and does not result in an AC penalty.

Shield the Weak (Su): At 7th level, as an immediate action once per round, an Elysium knight can shield a number of adjacent allies equal to his Wisdom modifier from a burst, cone, line, or spread effect that allows a Reflex saving throw and which he and his allies are all affected by. The Elysium knight must forgo his own saving throw, but adjacent allies gain improved cover against the effect, providing a +4 bonus on Reflex saves and improved evasion against the effect.

Mobile Defense (Ex): At 9th level, an Elysium knight can adjust his position while maintaining a defensive stance. While in a defensive stance, he can take one 5-foot step each round without losing the benefit of the stance.

Knight of Elysium (Su): At 10th level, an Elysium knight becomes a true defender of righteousness. He gains DR 5/evil. Whenever he uses challenge or smite evil and successfully strikes an evil outsider, the outsider is also subject to a banishment, using his character level as the caster level (his weapon and holy symbol automatically count as objects that the subject hates). After the banishment effect and the damage from the attack is resolved, the challenge or smite immediately ends. In addition, an Elysium knight can cast holy aura (lawful or neutral good) or shield of law (lawful neutral) once per day.